Tag: Tony Blankley

Consumer spending drives the real economy, and it has taken a plunge. Did we save the banks at the expense of the people? Also this week: The health care reform bill finally appears on the scene, and Hillary Clinton attempts a precarious balancing act in Pakistan—are either of these developments successful?

Well, that public option idea keeps creeping back to the table as Congress debates the health care conundrum, but will it stick around? Does the federal government have the right to limit executive bonuses when taxpayers hold a majority interest in the company? And is President Obama wasting his time by tangling with Fox News? So many questions this week!

Wall Street got a boost, as if it needed one, from the Dow’s rise past 10,000 this week—but let’s not confuse that with economic stability. Consider the unemployment rate and the ballooning federal budget deficit, as Arianna Huffington, Bob Scheer, Tony Blankley and Matt Miller do on this week’s “Left, Right and Center.” Just don’t ask Arianna about “Balloon Boy.”

President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize caused a ruckus round the globe, drawing a wide range of reactions. The big question: Did he deserve it? On this week’s show, “Left, Right & Center” co-hosts Robert Scheer, Tony Blankley, Matt Miller and Arianna Huffington mull this one over, along with the value of the dollar and the ongoing saga that is health care reform.

That last bit in the headline isn’t just to get your attention—there are a few valid reasons for its inclusion among this week’s “LRC” topics (paging Roman Polanski ... or was that David Letterman?). However, more substantial fare precedes that part of the discussion, including talk of unemployment, Wall Street’s most wanted, and Obama’s growing Afghanistan problem.

Russia might be pleased with President Obama’s decision to nix Bush’s missile shield plans, but how about Eastern Europe? Meanwhile, Sen. Max Baucus’ health care reform plan foundered, and Obama made a play to get through to the powers on Wall Street. All this—plus the Glenn Becking of American political discourse—is part of this week’s discussion on “Left, Right & Center.”

It was a big week in political news, what with the kerfuffle about Obama’s education speech and then the hubbub over ... Obama’s health care speech. Anyone see a pattern? “Left, Right & Center” regulars Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington and Tony Blankley just might.

President Obama’s got a lot of work to do to convince “Left, Right & Center” regulars Arianna Huffington, Tony Blankley and Robert Scheer that he’s going to make good on his promise of “change” when it comes to bettering Americans’ health care options, the economy, the job market and that whole war thing he’s got going on in Afghanistan.

Not surprisingly, “Left, Right & Center” co-hosts Arianna Huffington, Robert Scheer and Tony Blankley harbor some differing viewpoints when it comes to Sen. Ted Kennedy’s legacy, as well as whether Congress should push through a health care reform plan to “win one for Ted.”

President Obama is gambling on America’s readiness to embrace a larger, more comprehensive form of government, but will it take? “Recovering Republican” Arianna Huffington argues that the system Obama favors is currently working best for oligarchs, not those losing their homes or worried about their health care, while Tony Blankley thinks Big Pharma is pitching camp in the White House.

Diplomacy by former President Bill Clinton that brought home two journalists from North Korea offers a moment to reflect on the anniversary of the Hiroshima nuclear attack. Sonia Sotomayor’s been confirmed, but not until after there was a dramatic display of partisan ideology. Plus, is the disruption of health care town halls real or orchestrated?

This week’s show covers flagrant shenanigans in the financial world—could it be that Tony Blankley makes a move toward the left? Meanwhile, lefty Robert Scheer is the surprising deficit hawk in the mix, and Arianna Huffington and Matt Miller clash over whether the absence of a strong public provision in Congress’ emerging health plan represents a betrayal of the American people. Also: beer!

So we won’t have a solution to the health care conundrum before summer’s end—and maybe not before the end of 2009, either—but for millions of Americans, this issue is a top priority. Who’s going to pay? Bob Scheer, Matt Miller and Tony Blankley cast their votes on this week’s show.

This week’s show includes two Republicans filling in for Tony Blankley—Mike Murphy and John Henke—making this episode more like “Left, Right, Right & Center,” if you will. Robert Scheer joins them to weigh in about the Sotomayor hearings, the future of the GOP and what to do about the health care conundrum, among other lively topics.

For the holiday weekend, the “Left, Right & Center” squad takes a good, hard look at the state of the economy: How did we get here? Who’s to blame? Can it be fixed? Argument, and even entertainment, ensues as Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington, Matt Miller and Tony Blankley do their best to make sense of it all.

This week’s episode of “Left, Right & Center” takes a look at the doings in Iran and U.S. involvement there, with Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer recalling his interview of a CIA agent who said he organized the 1953 coup in that country. Other topics include two hot issues on the domestic side—U.S. regulatory proposals and health care.

This week on “Left, Right and Center” the gang tackles three big questions: What do today’s Iranian elections mean in the polarized theocracy? What’s going on in the banking world and with the alleged TARP paybacks? And finally, given the partisan divide, will public health care ever become a viable option in the U.S.? Tune in to find out.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been reasserting himself, for good or ill, in the public sphere this week. President Obama was ready with his own take on torture, aka “extreme interrogation” methods. Is this a media-enabled setup or a legitimate face-off between executive powers past and present?

Even Fox News’ Shep Smith said it: America doesn’t torture ... although the recently released set of torture memos belies that declaration. Meanwhile, President Obama’s none too pleased with credit card companies, and Chrysler has hit the skids. Was there any good news this week? Tony Blankley thinks so.

Did the nationwide “tea parties” on April 15 constitute a much-needed boost for the Republican base? Was the Obama administration right to release the latest batch of torture memos from the Bush years?

Did President Barack Obama achieve anything at the G-20 summit besides showing up and pressing the flesh with other international political players? Tony Blankley isn’t so sure, but Robert Scheer and guest moderator Lawrence O’Donnell are ready with their rebuttals. And how about that ginormous budget plan?

The clock is ticking for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to come up with a plan to deal with the banks that actually works. Meanwhile, some of the United States’ current struggles seem beside the point to European countries that already have a strong social safety net. And finally on this week’s list of “Left, Right & Center” hot topics is President Obama and Afghanistan: Is this a disaster waiting to happen?

Have the American media become too fixated on AIG and its nefarious bonuses—at the cost of focusing too little on the whereabouts of the other gajillions of dollars doled out in bailout funds? What’s to become of Timothy Geithner? And how about those warm New Year’s wishes that winged their way to the people of Iran from the U.S. and Israel?

Has there been any good news in recent days? Robert Scheer thinks so and says why on this week’s “Left, Right & Center.” Arianna Huffington, meanwhile, has some questions about Barack Obama’s economic decisions, while Tony Blankley wonders if there aren’t too many banking types in the new government.

This week’s episode of “Left, Right & Center” finds the full lineup of co-hosts—Matt Miller, Tony Blankley, Arianna Huffington and Robert Scheer—debating the latest developments in the unholy marriage between big banks and the U.S. government, speculating about what might be done about the American auto industry and doing a little on-the-fly analysis of comparative economic systems. Listen and learn.

Everyone’s a Captol Hill critic these days. Here we have a handful who might just know what they’re talking about when it comes to the stimulus debate: Arianna Huffington, Tony Blankley, Robert Scheer and Matt Miller do their darndest to sort out where the money should go.

Well, here he is, our new Mr. President. How did Barack Obama fare in his first few days in office? Meanwhile, Wall Street flounders, and Caroline Kennedy’s Senate bid falls short at the 11th hour. The “Left, Right & Center” team takes a crack at this week’s news. Audio fixed

Is President-elect Barack Obama proposing a stimulus package that will actually deliver? What’s going to happen next in the Middle East? These are unanswerable questions, but the “Left, Right & Center” team offers prognostications about what may lie in store on the domestic and international fronts.

What’s to be done to pull the U.S. out of economic quicksand? You can bet that “Left, Right & Center” stalwarts Robert Scheer, Tony Blankley and Matt Miller might differ in their takes on this question, as well as others posed on this week’s show.

Just in time for the (post-)election, KCRW’s “Left, Right & Center” panelists Matt Miller, Tony Blankley, Arianna Huffington and Robert Scheer appeared together for a live show at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Sunday, braving a packed house as they took stock of the state of the union and discussed what might come next.

Arianna Huffington was back on “Left, Right & Center” to have her say, along with Tony Blankley, Matt Miller and Truthdig’s own Robert Scheer, about the economy and the presidential and vice presidential candidates on the show’s last episode before the election.

Last week marked the official debut of Sarah Palin, now John McCain’s running mate, at the Republican National Convention—not to mention the Alaska governor’s introduction to most of the country. How do her accomplishments stack up? Will she be, as “LRC” co-host Tony Blankley wonders, “gold dust or Kryptonite” for the McCain campaign?

In this week’s edition of “Left, Right and Center,” co-hosts Tony Blankley, Robert Scheer and Matt Miller weigh in about the Democratic convention in Denver, Barack Obama’s historic nomination acceptance speech, and whether John McCain made a sound decision in choosing wild-card Sarah Palin as his VP.

In the latest “Left, Right & Center,” Tony Blankley, Robert Scheer, Arianna Huffington and Matt Miller give their takes on the latest events from the campaign trail, the Beijing Olympic Games and who’s getting it right (if anyone) about the mounting energy crisis and how to handle it.

Listen to Robert Scheer, along with Arianna Huffington, Matt Miller and Tony Blankley every week on KCRW’s provocative, up-to-the-minute, alive and witty confrontation over politics, policy and popular culture.